THE JAMAICA EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM FOR …

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THE JAMAICA EARLY CHILDHOOD CURRICULUM

RESOURCE BOOK

FOR CHILDREN BIRTH TO FIVE YEARS

The Dudley Grant Memorial Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Early Childhood Commission

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The Jamaica Early Childhood Curriculum Resource Book Published by The Dudley Grant Memorial Trust, 5 Gibraltar Camp Road, University of the West Indies Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica W.I.

Copyright ? 2010 the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust All rights reserved Editor: Cecille Maye-Hemmings Graphic designer: Neil Buckle

Printed by Financial support for this project was provided by the Ministry of Education, Jamaica; the CHASE Fund; UNICEF; and the Social Conflict and Legal Reform Project in Jamaica.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

7

Introduction

8

Activities

Infants & Toddlers (Birth to 24 Months)

Birth to 6 Months

14

6 to 12 Months

19

12 to 18 Months

21

18 to 24 Months

25

Children Two to Five Years

Two Year Olds

Me

29

Celebrations

34

Animals

38

Flowers

43

Birds

47

Water

51

Three Year Olds

All About Me

56

Celebrations

61

Foods

65

Family

71

Animals

75

Water

83

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Four Year Olds

Celebrating Me

87

Celebrations

93

Plants

98

Transportation

103

People in Our Community

108

Five Year Olds

Our People

118

Transportation

124

Sports

129

Jamaica Land We Love

133

The Weather

139

Additional Activities

146

Anthology

165

Make and Take

251

Websites

262

Tips for Parents

264

Index

284

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Acknowledgements

The Dudley Grant Memorial Trust, as the lead coordinating agency for the national Early Childhood Curriculum Project, wishes to acknowledge with great appreciation the contributions and hard work of all the participating individuals, groups and agencies.

The task involved the revision of the existing curriculum guide for the four -year and five- year old age groups and the development of a guide for birth to three years age cohorts. Development of the supporting documents such as the Scope and Sequence, the Conceptual Framework and the Resource Book for the age range birth to five years was a vital part of the process.

Many Early Childhood professionals have contributed to the development of these documents. While it would be difficult to mention everyone by name, we must acknowledge some key individuals and groups who made significant inputs into the production of the documents.

We acknowledge the leadership, coordination and curriculum writing contributions of Dr. Rose Davies, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Education, University of the West Indies and Chief consultant to the Project.

We thank especially the following outstanding contributors:

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Mrs. Joyce Jarrett for her vision and enormous generosity in sharing her time and expertise in the development of the birth to two-year-old section. Ms. Cathryn O'Sullivan for her special contribution in developing and reviewing activities for the Resource Book. The Early Childhood Resource Centre Officers especially Mrs. Sharon Gilzene, Mrs. Sandria Buchanan-Murray, Mrs. Janette Fairweather and Mrs. Viola Frazer. Mrs. Suzanne Ritchie-Brown for her special contribution in developing and reviewing activities for the Resource Book The Early Childhood Education Officers and practitioners who contributed to the development of the activities. The Early Childhood Commission Shortwood Teachers' College AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation Juliet Brooklyn Children's Museum, New York, USA George Brown College, Toronto, Canada

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Introduction

The Resource Book has been compiled to assist you, the practitioners and other relevant stakeholders, with your curricular activity plans. It is a supplemental guide that accompanies the Jamaica Early Childhood Curriculum For Children Birth to Five Years Old. One of the considerations that guided the development and design of the curriculum was the need to "emphasize holistic development and integrated curriculum approaches that allow children to express themselves creatively by using all their senses to acquire new knowledge, skills and competencies as well as to engage in independent learning", (Davies, 2008, Conceptual Framework, p.2). Furthermore, "play is central to curriculum practice, as it allows children to be active learners, interacting with a wide variety of materials and engaging with projects and learning centres in the process. Varied approaches to play and different methods of learning are encouraged..." (p.6). The Resource Book has been developed with these principles in mind. The activities outlined within it are interactive and child-centred and promote the active participation of children.

The Resource Book consists mainly of suggested developmentally appropriate activities for children birth to five years. The activities also take into account the types of resources that might be readily available to practitioners as well as other constraints that might be faced, such as a lack of space or a high practitioner-student ratio. Please note that these activities are suggestions so practitioners, please feel free to modify them to suit the needs of the children. Many of these activities can be used at different times of the day and in various locations, including the outdoor environment. Children must be as involved as possible in these activities. In order to facilitate this, you should allow children to participate in discussions and decision making and activities should be as hands-on as possible. The activities selected should be guided by children's interests and developmental needs. Children should also be able to choose from a wide range of activities. As the practitioner, you should be engaged and support the children's problem solving approach with enthusiasm. Many of the activities are items that the children can make as toys or manipulatives. Be sure to allow the children to use these materials during activities and in learning centres.

An anthology of songs, poems, finger plays, pictures of sample materials, a sample unit/weekly and daily activity plan and a detailed index are also included in the Resource Book. The activities in the section for children birth to 24 months are not theme based and have been

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